The Science Behind #ThrowbackThursday

The Science Behind #ThrowbackThursday

If your Facebook feed is looking a little antique these days, you probably have #ThrowbackThursday (#TBT) to thank. The hashtag-inspired trend has people posting snapshots from their youth—romantically faded at the edges or washed with a nice sepia-tinted filter—along with captions like “best sister ever!”

But the trend is not just the latest iteration of sentimentality plus narcissism. A new study by University of Portsmouth sociologist Laura Hyman shows that happiness possesses a strong temporal dimension, and reflections on the past can be a significant source of happiness for us in the present.